SELLutions

“We
should never intentionally place soldiers in a situation where the price of
losing outweighs the rewards of winning".-Anonymous.
What is the best sales process? Well it seems to be one that understands how to win the battle.
How
often can you honestly say that your sales managers apply this rule to their
salespeople? And what systems do your salespeople have in place to ensure
victory, even before they go into battle?
You have two challenges when your sales force prepares for battle:
Challenge 1: Like any kind of warfare, you have a distinct advantage
when you can tap good and reliable intelligence. Here's the problem: Your
salespeople don’t get enough accurate intelligence about their prospects. As a result, their pipelines are filled with
flaky opportunities. And your sales
managers don’t have enough guts to call them on it.
Here’s the litmus test. When your
sales people submit their forecasts, do you or your managers “adjust” them down
for realism? It’s typically easier for
salespeople and their managers to discuss why they didn’t win business, instead
of asking themselves the right questions before going to battle.
The right questions to ask to create the best sales process.
1. “Can we win and
should we pursue this opportunity?” If yes, then
2. “Which strategy
should we adopt to ensure that we win?
To begin, ask your salespeople: "How much does it cost to win a new
account?” Calculate the actual costs
associated with generating a lead, a contact, an appointment, a proposal and a
sale. Now add in the opportunity cost of
missed business they could have won if they weren’t wasting time on business that
won’t close quickly.
If you’re like most selling organizations, the cost per account pursuit
is several hundred or even thousands of dollars. Multiply that by the number of opportunities
you chased and didn’t close in the last 12 months. Staggering isn’t it?
Before your sales people charge off to fight the next battle, ask them,
“If this was your money, would you spend it?”
Challenge 2: Your sales people don’t do enough planning work before
going to battle.
Before going into battle again, make sure your salespeople can answer
these questions (honestly): What are you trying to sell and most importantly, why?
Sounds simple enough until you actually try to quantify it.
· Is the project funded? What if there’s not
enough? Who has discretionary use of the
funds? Who can get more?
· What is the sale worth to the organization? Does the
ROI justify the investment of time, money and effort?
· Have we sold this prospect anything in the past? Who?
What? Where? When? How? Why?
·
How many contacts have you already had with this
contact? How many phone calls, face-to-face meetings and so on? Do you have a
clear next step?
· Do you have an organizational chart? Do you have an
inside coach?
· What has been (or will be) your sales strategy?
· Where are you in the selling process? Here is a
checklist for the best sales process;
1. Were you invited in
or did you beg for an appointment?
2. What were the
prospect’s reasons for seeing you?
3. What were the
challenges, problems, and frustrations that you identified in the interview?
4. How important is it
to the prospect to fix those problems?
5. How committed is
the prospect to fixing those problems?
(Time, effort, money, willingness to fail?)
6. What is the
agreement you and the prospect have reached concerning the decisions that will
be made each step of the way?
Few salespeople understand the cost of pursuing sales and often fill
their funnels with bad business. Fewer think through winning strategies before
going into sales “battle”.
Ask your sales people these fundamental sales questions before
committing resources to a battle you cannot win.
Successful sales professionals qualify vigorously, and religiously before
committing time and energy so their closing ratios are 90% or better.
So, what are yours?

Greta Schulz is President of
SchulzBusiness, a sales Consulting and Training firm. She is a best selling
author of “To Sell IS Not To Sell” and works with fortune 1000 companies and
entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips go to www.schulzbusiness.com and sign up for
‘GretaNomics’, a weekly video tip series or email sales questions to
greta@schulzbusiness.com
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NOW WHAT?
Recently, I spoke to an
organization that spent an ungodly amount of time, energy and money on Social
Media to create Lead Generation. So my question was, "Now what?” they
said, "What do you mean?" I said “Okay, so you got a whole bunch of
people calling you or contacting you through a web form, email etc. How's your
closing ratio?” They looked at me like I had three heads.
The issue is a simple one, just
because we believe that we have found a new way to generate business, it is not
generating business…alone. Lead generation is Interest; lead generation is
getting people to the door. Are they coming over the threshold and are you
closing the door behind them? That's a very important step. One without the
other will result in no revenue.

Between Twitter, LinkedIn,
Facebook, Google and Bing ads on any of the Social Media sites, or email-marketing
powerhouses like Infusionsoft, (which I personally use) amongst other things we
do today to build leads is it really working? That's one question. If we’re
doing all of the things that we need to do in Social Media and all the ‘white
noise’ is going out, what is it bringing us? Well, it should be bringing us
Leads. It should be bringing us Emails, filling out contact Information or a
website, web forms and phone call, and if that's happening, Great you have
reached step one. This is a very important step but it is ONLY step one.
The million-dollar question is
"Now What?"

It's important to make sure that we know once
people contact us or when we contact them back, we are using the right process
to follow up from any kind of lead generation that we get. Are we setting some
ground rules at the beginning of the conversation? Are we asking well? Thought
provoking open-ended questions to engage them and truly understand their needs
beyond what the told you? DO we have a true picture of all of this before we
have the cost conversation and do you clearly understand the next step and what
that means as opposed to just “checking back” or following up with them?
It's important to understand that
when someone contacts you, they are often contacting several people within your
industry. You don't have a relationship built, there were just some low levels
of interest that got them to contact you. Is it better than you calling out
cold? Well certainly it is but you still needs the same attention to process as
you always did. Getting somebody to call you is only the beginning. So, what
are the other steps: What are we doing when we contact them or they call us.
Are we using the process properly?

Here
is what we typically see. When we get them on the phone, they will
typically ask you a simple question that I call a "Wall Question"
which is they put up a wall and the question sounds something like this "Hey,
I see you guys sell widgets. Can you tell me if I bought a hundred widgets what
that would cost?" and we say, "Sure, let me look. What can of widgets
you are looking for?” "We're looking for widget A or widget B."
"Okay well, widget A would be $75,000 for a hundred widgets and widget B
would be $82,000. "Oh, that's a lot of money. "Well, maybe I can do a little
better." You negotiate a price and they say "Okay sounds good, ah
we'll call you back” Or “Sounds good, can you send me a proposal / price sheet/
some more information?"
We get their email, we send that
information in writing and cricket, we never hear from them again. We try to
contact them back, they don't contact us. We try to call them, they don't take
our call, and we leave messages.
Sound familiar? Of course, it
does.

The same situation that happened before when you did your prospecting more
proactively occurred. Prospecting hasn't changed. Sales and the sales process haven’t
changed just because they're contacting you. In fact, I would say that it is more difficult
now because we are not as on top of our game since they contacted us we feel it
is a ‘hot’ lead.
Not only do you need to do a good
job on working on the sales process in closing the sale, you need to do a
better job than you ever have before because remember, they have control.
They're the ones that are calling you but they're also calling your competitor.
So they've done a little homework, they know who's out there and they know what
the pricing is out there. That's where the sale process comes in. If you don't
have a process, you're going to fail whether they're lead generating through
Social Media or not.

What’s the new normal when it comes to developing business?
This is not the old ‘ask a few questions, give your features and benefits and
trial close’. The 70s wants their slick
sales guy back. Today you need to be smart, curious and a true consultant
to sell. Here are a few things that today are imperative in business growth.

1)
Tell the
prospect its OK to break up….Rejection is a result of trying to sell
someone your product or service as opposed to tell them you what you are
calling about, let them know it seems that because of what they do you could
potentially work together, but (pull back) you don’t want to assume that you are a good fit. What you’d like to do
is ask a few questions to see if the two of you are a fit and if not, we decide
it’s a NO then we only wasted a few minutes? Sound OK?
This allows you to give a NO as an option
right upfront. Then you have asked for it as opposed to a prospect pushing you
away and that is the rejection.

2)
Mining
for customers is different today. Networking is the true key to finding and
keeping customers but most people do it wrong. Networking events ate not for
direct prospecting! Recognize this scenario?
“Hey do you guys use promotional products?
here’s a sample, we can really help you!!”..” NO! Instead I say go to an event
and look for Strategic Alliances, people that you can refer business back and
forth to as opposed to hitting your potential prospects so hard. We all know
building business on referrals is the best way to do business so lets network
for good alliances that you can refer business to and that is a good source for
your referrals.

3)
Research
should be used for credibility. Research is essential today before you pick
up the phone and call anyone. No excuses! The most important reason to do your
research on their web site, Google etc. is to create good, quality questions to
ask them to engage your prospect in conversation and truly understand their
needs not to tell them that you’ve researched their company and since they do
this, we can sell you that…

4)
If you
need to discount to get the business is almost always a result of one of these
things. a) The customer doesn’t truly trust you/your product or service
so there is only price to use as a differentiator or b) you haven’t truly understood the need for the product. I know
need seems simple but it isn’t. What are
they trying to say? What impression are they trying to leave, how do they want to be seen? What are
they using it for? There are lots of questions
to not only understand what a prospect needs but the true deep-down
‘whys’. Asking questions will let you also gain credibility and trust but not
Selling and truly asking and listening….

5) Listen
and shut up!! Wow! If I could teach people that are in sales/business
development to ask questions and listen there
would be a lot more success in business!
Telling isn’t selling…but it comes from a
good place. We are excited about what we represent and want other to be excited
too but excitement doesn’t sell, questions and true engagement does.
Long ago we were taught to ask a few
questions and when you hear a “ buying signal” jump in and tell them you can
help with that and how. NO!
When you ask a question, wait for the
answer and whatever the answer is, especially if it may be something your
product or service can help with, the best next question is, “tell me about
that”, then SHUT-UP!!!

Greta Schulz is President of SchulzBusiness, a sales
Consulting and Training firm. She is a best selling author of “To Sell IS Not
To Sell” and works with fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more
information or free sales tips go to www.schulzbusiness.com
and sign up for ‘GretaNomics’, a weekly video tip series or email sales
questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com
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Last week, I sat down with Jacob, a
friend who is a sales rep at an ink and toner supply store. We were exchanging
the usual “So, how is the family...how is business?” when Jacob started to look
troubled. “You know, Greta, I thought business was going great,” he said. “My sales
have been through the roof, and I have more clients than I know what to do
with. There is just one thing that has been bothering me the past few weeks.”
“What is that?”
I asked.
“Well, I was
reviewing my order totals for the quarter when I saw that my biggest client,
ABC Graphics, had ordered only half as much toner in June as it did in May. I
was not too surprised. Many of our clients have a slow month here or there. I
figured things would pick up. Well, lo and behold, at the end of the next month,
not only had ABC Graphics not increased back to its regular toner order, it had
barely ordered anything.”
I asked, “So
tell me something, Jacob. When you recently visited your contact at ABC
Graphics, how did it go?”
“Well, to be
honest, the last time I followed up with them was at the end of last year,”
Jacob replied. “I told you we have been crazy—I mean busy—and besides I didn’t
have anything new for him, they just want to order and not have us bother them.”
Bother them!
So why was
Jacob rapidly losing ground on his biggest account? Because he did not stay in
front of his client, and someone else moved in on his account. And if Jacob’s
client perceives a visit as a “bother” then he needs to analyze what he says
and does while he’s there.
One common
characteristic we as salespeople have, is the belief that “once a customer,
always a customer.” Of course, as time goes on and good customer service does
not, another salesperson sees your client as his prospect. So how can Jacob—or
you—make it right?
Sit down with
your client list the first week of every month and think about each client
individually. Then jot down something you can do for each person or company on
the list. Take off your salesperson hat and really consider the well-being of
your client. Think referrals, introductions, invitations to network with
you…anything to make your client say, “Wow, he really does care about me.”
Not only will
you be helping out your clients, but you will also be keeping the line of
communication open regarding your product or service. Then you can resolve
their issue instead of your competition doing it…while getting their business.
Rather than
worrying about the other guy moving in on your clients, take some preventive
measures to ensure you are keeping your clients happy. Remember the “givers
gain” philosophy: The more you give, the more you get in return. If you are
always giving, you will never lose.
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“Joanne is leaving and I need someone for that territory! I
need help do you know anyone?”
A week doesn’t pass without someone asking about looking for
a new sales employee. I hear it all the time. So why is everyone having such a
problem? Here are some common hiring mistakes we see and what you should avoid.
1) Looking for new employees when one is
leaving. I think we all know the value of a good
employee. Make no mistake, if you hire (and
manage) right, your organization runs like a
well oiled machine and I defy anyone to argue
that. “Get the right people on the bus in the
right seats” the famous quote from the
top-notch book Good to Great by Jim Collins. That
being said why are we looking for employees
only when we “need” one. You always
need
them if they are great and greatness doesn’t
come along only when you are looking
so be
looking all of the time.
Our biggest problem
with looking when we “need” someone is the desperation factor. We
often
hire to fill a need by hiring “the best of the worst”. When we are feeling
pressure
from a
department or another employee to lighten their load we often make a decision
not
for the “best person” but the “best for right now
person”. This will hurt you in the long run
every time.

2)Hiring off of a resume’. When I say it is a mistake hiring off of
a resume’ I don’t mean to presume you actually hire when a good resume comes in
without other important considerations. What I do mean is being impressed by
the background they have had; whom they’ve worked for and what they’ve done.
Background is less important then things like eagerness to learn, commitment
and desire to be successful. Hire for attitude, train for skill.

3)Hiring in your image. Allowing the likeability factor to take
over the actual decision of the best candidate. We like people that are like
us, that we relate to but in hiring that is not to be used as a gauge. We all
make decisions emotionally, meaning we decide on things in our life business
and personal by our gut, by what we feel. In some cases it’s enough but in the
decision of hiring someone to help you grow your business, there needs to be
much more then you like them.

4) Selling the candidate on the job. We are passionate about our
organization and all of the good things that we offer. Because of that, we sell
the candidate on how great the job is instead of really qualifying them first.
One of the most important things we need to do in an interview is to ask good
questions and listen for the answers. It is called an interview for a reason.
Do not get caught up in telling the candidate all about the job, what it takes,
the duties the company benefits etc. Do not get caught up in this sale. You may
find out too late the things you could have found out upfront.

5) Overlooking a teachable, trainable candidate for one with
“experience”. The idea of hiring someone with experience is sales is
understandable. It seems like a good
idea for someone who can just fit right into a job and start off fast
and furious. This is often not the case. Though it takes more work and effort
to train someone it often proves to be much more lucrative in the end because
you have taught them in your way. Unfortunately sales people seem to have more
bad habits then good ones when they leave a job. Though this can be an
overstatement it is more often true then not.
The key is to be looking for someone better then your best
person, all of the time. If one of your salespeople said to you that they were
going to look for new business only when they lose existing business, you would
probably fire them. Then don’t do the same thing. As an executive, your
prospecting responsibility is looking for top-level salespeople all of the
time. Not just when you lose one.
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